THE NEW YORK AUDIENCE KNEW THAT THEY WERE IN THE PRESENCE OF MUSICAL GREATNESS. THERE IS A
RAWNESS AND AUTHENTICITY TO MELLENCAMP'S MUSIC, AND HE IS
ONE TRUE BADASS PERFORMER. IT IS EVIDENT THAT THIS ROCK AND
ROLL HALL OF FAMER ONLY GETS BETTER WITH AGE AND EXPERIENCE. HIS SET AT THE BEACON THEATRE
EARNED AN A+ RATING.- MARKOS PAPADATOS
IN NASHVILLE, MELLENCAMP CUT A FIGURE THAT WAS REMINISCENT OF TWO LOCAL ICONS -
ELVIS PRESLEY AND JOHNNY CASH...LIKE THOSE AMAZING LEGEND
MELLENCAMP HAD PLENTY OF HITS AND ROCK RADIO STAPLES
TO PLAY FOR THE CONGREGATION AT THE CITY'S MOTHER CHURCH....THE STAGE SET-UP WAS NOTICEABLY
DOMINATED BY DARKER SHADES AND HUES PERHAPS REFLECTING THESE TRYING AND UNCERTAIN
TIMES. BUT, THE ACTIVIST AND PHILANTHROPIST WAS CONTENT TO LET HIS
MUSIC DO MOST OF THE TALKING EXCEPT FOR A QUICK SUMMATION OF HIS POLITICAL POSITION AS
THE SPOKEN INTRODUCTION TO “EASY TARGET" THAT HAD MELLENCAMP PROFESSING HIS
BELIEFS IN EQUALITY, FAIRNESS AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.- RICH AND LAURA LYNCH
HE PERFORMED EVERYTHING WITHVIGORAND MEANING.... IT WAS CLEAR TO SEE
THAT FOR MELLENCAMP, THE THRILL OF LIVING ISN'T GONE - NOT WHEN THERE ARE STILL
INJUSTICES IN THE WORLD, AND IMPORTANT SONGS LEFT TO MAKE.- PIET LEVY WITHIN AMERICAN MUSIC, MELLENCAMP IS A PRIZEFIGHTER STILL PUNCHING HARD IN
CHAMPIONSHIP BOUTS...[HE] IS EVERY BIT AS REBELLIOUS AS HE WAS WHEN HE MADE HIS
DEBUT. HIS ENRAGED AND IMPASSIONED DELIVERY OF “RAIN ON THE SCARECROW" AND “PAPER IN FIRE,"
ESPECIALLY FOLLOWING “EASY TARGET," DEMONSTRATED AN AUTHENTIC FIGHTING
SPIRIT OF PROTEST, DESPERATELY NEEDED IN A MUSICAL CULTURE THAT HAS
BECOME FAR TOO COMPLACENT. - DAVID MASCIOTRA
WHEN HE HIT HIS STRIDE WITH “RAIN ON THE SCARECROW," “PAPER IN FIRE" AND “CRUMBLIN' DOWN," IT HAD
ALL THE MAKINGS FOR AN ARENA CONCERT, BUT WHAT A THRILL TO HAVE IT HAPPEN IN A THEATER. PERHAPS
HIS CHOICE OF VENUES IS A NOD TO THE ADVICE LEGENDARY FOLK SINGER PETE SEEGER ONCE GAVE HIM
AND HE'S NEVER FORGOTTEN: “KEEP IT SMALL AND
KEEP IT GOING." - KENDRA MEINERT
AT THE CUSP OF BEGINNING HIS SIXTH DECADE AS AN ENTERTAINER, LITTLE QUESTION
SHOULD REMAIN THAT THE NATIVE INDIANIAN BELONGS ON A SHORT LIST WITH MESSRS
SPRINGSTEEN, DYLAN ANDPETTY AS ONE OF
THE MOST PROLIFIC POETS TO BE PRODUCED ON THESE SOILS.- DANIEL GLUSKOTER
JOHN MELLENCAMP IS
STILL KIND OF A PUNK.
NOT A PUNK IN THE MOHAWK, SLAM-DANCING,
SEX PISTOLS WAY, BUT IN THE WAY OLD-TIMERS USED
TO EYEBALL A CERTAIN SORT OF LONG-HAIRED,
CIGARETTE-SMOKING LOUDMOUTH AND MUTTER
“DAMN PUNK" AT WHAT HE SAW AS
A HARBINGER OF SOCIETY'S COLLAPSE.
MELLENCAMP PROVED TO STILL BE THE KIND OF GUY WHO
REVELS IN STIRRING
SHIT UP....“EASY TARGET" WAS
BORDERLINE PERFORMANCE ART AS HE DELIVERED LINES
ABOUT VAST SECTIONS OF AMERICAN SOCIETY WHO
ARE LITTLE MORE THAN WHAT THE TITLE SUGGESTS....
MELLENCAMP STILL LOVES TO FIGHT AUTHORITY,
AND HE COMES OUT GRINNIN'.- DAN NAILEN
MELLENCAMP, AN INDIANA NATIVE, ISROCK'S POET LAUREATE
OF THE HEARTLAND, BUT HIS SONGS FORM
A MORE COMPLEX PERSPECTIVE ON THE REGION THAN THE TYPICAL
RED STATE/BLUE STATE VIEW THATDOMINATES THE NATIONAL
DISCUSSION. THE SMALL TOWNS AND FARMS HE SINGS ABOUT
HAVE BEEN HIT HARD ECONOMICALLY AND ARE POLITICALLY MIXED.
THEY'RE PURPLE,
LIKE A BRUISE.- DANIEL DURCHHOLZ
IN THE FIRST OF TWO SOLD-OUT NIGHTS IN CLEARWATER,
THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAMER RELIED LESS ON THE
NOSTALGIC PULL OF HIS CAN'T-MISS HEARTLAND HITS,
AND MORE ON GRIT, SPITTLEAND
RIFF AFTER RIFF AFTER RIFF.....
EVER THE RABBLE-ROUSER, MELLENCAMP RAILED
AGAINST AUTHORITY ONLAWLESS TIMES
ANDWE ARE THE PEOPLE,AND WORKED
OVERTIME FOR THE WORKING MAN ON THE
RAGING RAIN ON THE SCARECROW.
HIS MOST OVERTLY ACTIVIST SONG BY
FAR WAS 2017'SEASY TARGET,
WHICH TOUCHED ON LIVING WAGES AND
BLACK LIVES MATTER, AND ENDED
WITH MELLENCAMP, THAT
HERO OF FLYOVER
COUNTRY,BENDING TO A
KNEE AT CENTER STAGE.- JAY CRIDLIN
UNLIKE MOST OF US REGULAR PEOPLE, MELLENCAMP HAS
THE UNCANNY ABILITY TO SAY THINGS IN A
PLAINSPOKEN WAY THAT
EXPRESSES AND EXPLAINS OUR LIVES IN A UNIVERSAL WAY.
HE SINGS OUR STORIES.
AND HE DID SO AGAIN MONDAY NIGHT IN OMAHA,
WHERE A SOLD-OUT ORPHEUM THEATER CHEERED HIM ON,
SANG HIS SONGS TO HIM AND DANCED. MELLENCAMP'S SONGS ARE
THE ONES YOU KNOW BY HEART. MELLENCAMP WAS
ABLE TO HIS STORY, WHICH INCLUDED HIS
POLITICAL LEANINGS, LIFE EXPERIENCES
THUS FAR AND HIS CONFRONTATIONS WITH
PEOPLE THAT TOLD HIM WHAT TO DO
WITH HIS VOICE. BUT, EVEN MORE IMPORTANTLY,
MELLENCAMP LET THE
MUSIC SPEAK FOR HIM.- NICOLE MARCKINKUS
AFTER MORE THAN FORTY YEARS OF
MAKING MUSIC, JOHN MELLENCAMP HAS SOLIDLY COME INTO HIS OWN....AS
ENJOYABLE AS THEFULL BAND NUMBERS WERE, [LONGEST DAYS]
HIGHLIGHTED THE SIMPLE PURITY AND
DISTILLATION OF A LIFETIME
OF SONGWRITING. IT MADE ME WANT TO SEE HIM DO AN
ENTIRE ACOUSTIC SOLO SHOW JUST TO SEE HOW THE SHADES OF THE SONGS
CHANGE WHEN THEY ARE STRIPPED DOWN TO THEIR BARE ESSENCE.- JON CALDERAS
MELLENCAMP, WHO'S LOGGED 22 TOP 40 HITS
AND EARNED A GRAMMY AWARD, HAS BEEN
ROCKING HIS OWN BLEND OFBLUES,
ROCKABILLY ANDSOLID
ROCK 'N' ROLL SINCE THE 1970S
BUT HE SOUNDED AS FRESH AND AS POWERFUL
AS EVER.
- SUSAN MCDONALD
JUDGING FROM THE CROWD THAT HUNG ONTO
MELLENCAMP'S EVERY WORD, JUST AS STRONG AS
THEY WERE IN HIS YOUTH, IT'S CLEAR THE ORDINARY
PEOPLE IN SPOKANE STILL APPRECIATE HIM FOR
GIVING THEM A VOICE.
- AZARIA PODPLESKY
THE SONGS THAT MELLENCAMP SANG - THE STORIES HE TOLD-PRESENTED VIGNETTES AND VISTAS OF AN ALTERNATIVE AMERICA. ALTHOUGH MELLENCAMP MADE ONLY ONE OVERTLY
POLITICAL STATEMENT FROM THE STAGE, IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO SEPARATE THE AMERICAN DREAM OF MELLENCAMP'S MUSIC FROM THE MONSTROSITY CURRENTLY TROUBLING THE COUNTRY. MELLENCAMP'S STORY STANDS IN STARK CONTRAST
TO THE CONTEMPORARY MUSICAL CULTURE OF FRIVOLITY AND FLIMSINESS. IT IS HARD TO IMAGINE MANY OF THE CURRENT CROP OF HITMAKERS ROLLING INTO PEORIA, 35 YEARS FROM NOW TO SING SONGS THAT MAKE PEOPLE RAISE THEIR FISTS,
SWING THEIR HIPS, AND WIPE THEIR TEAR-FILLED EYES.- DAVID MASCIOTRA
Thank You from